


From This Dark Room

by FeaRauko



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22616920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeaRauko/pseuds/FeaRauko
Summary: When Sam leaves for Stanford, Dean is lost. Luckily, a certain trickster is there to pull him out of his downward spiral.orThat one where Gabriel can't help but temporarily come out of hiding to help Dean.
Relationships: Gabriel & Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 37
Kudos: 53
Collections: Demon Void Army - Family Album, SPN Rare Ship Bingo 2020, Takeout Tacos





	1. These Slices and Cuts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnfortunatelyObsessed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnfortunatelyObsessed/gifts).

> The work and chapter titles (as well as the lyrics at the beginning of each chapter) come from a song called “Open Your Eyes” by Snow Patrol

_ All this feels strange and untrue _

_ And I won't waste a minute without you _

_ My bones ache, my skin feels cold _

_ And I'm getting so tired and so old _

_ The anger swells in my guts _

_ And I won't feel these slices and cuts _

Dean shut the passenger side door and leaned against the Impala. His dad went to unlock their motel room. 

This was fine. This was fine. This was fine.

No. It wasn’t.

You see...ever since he could remember, Dean’s life had kind of revolved around Sam: taking care of Sam, watching out for Sam, standing between Dad and Sam, keeping Sam healthy, keeping Sam safe…

So, what the hell was Dean supposed to do now?

Sam was leaving, going to Stanford; and Dean was consumed with three things:

*

** _ The first thing... _ **

“I can’t go with you, Sammy.”

Dean couldn’t go with him. He knew he couldn’t go with him. He had work to do. He had monsters to fight. He had to watch out for Dad because he was never going to quit and Dean couldn’t just leave him to do it alone…

But how the hell was dean really supposed to sleep at night knowing that Sammy was on the other side of the country and if something happened, Dean would be nowhere near to help him? Other people didn’t know what went bump in the night. They did. So, who was gonna watch Sammy’s back when something came to call huh?

Which leads to thing number two that was eating at Dean...

*

** _ The second thing... _ **

“Dean, nobody’s asking you to. I don’t _ want _ you to.”

_ Okay, ouch. _

What the hell, dude? Sammy wasn’t even concerned about his own safety or at all _ bothered _ by the fact that he was leaving _ Dean _ behind? So, what...now that _ Sam _ was actually old enough to watch Dean’s back too, he was just gonna _ leave_??? _ What the hell? _

Did he really just not care that Dean was gonna be out there hunting and fighting vamps and stuff without him? Was he not even worried _ at all _ about Dean the way that _ Dean _ was worrying about _ him_?

Was this really all that Dean meant to Sam?

*

** _ The third thing… _ **

“Dean!” John’s voice called impatiently from inside the motel room. His dad had never been a particularly cheery person...but he’d been in an especially bad mood since Sam had left. “Get your ass in here, boy!”

It was fine. It was fine. Dean had been taking the brunt of John’s anger for Sam’s sake since he could remember. It was fine. Dean was fine.

.

.

.

No. Dean wasn’t fine...


	2. Get Away From These Liars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel can't help himself

_ I want so much to open your eyes _

_ 'Cause I need you to look into mine _

_ Get up, get out, get away from these liars _

_ 'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire _

_ Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine _

_ And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time _

Gabriel watched.

It’s all he had ever done, really…

Gabriel had watched in wonder as the universe was created. He had watched as stars and planets and galaxies were born. He had watched with love and sheer adoration as his father created the angels, younger brothers and sisters for him to adore.

Then, Gabriel had watched his father leave. He had watched as his brothers tore Heaven apart in their father’s absence. He watched what had once been family be reduced to petty squabbles and power grabs and a battle between those who embraced blind faith and those who adopted a stance of bitter rejection. He had watched as they nearly tore the world apart with their battles and frikkin apocalypse threats and planning. 

And now, he watched the Winchesters.

Specifically, he watched Dean. He watched an older brother who had had responsibility for his sibling forced upon him from a young age. He watched an older brother trying to make up for an absent father and non-existent mother. He watched an older brother decide that family was everything, even if Sam was the only family he had.

Gabriel watched a brother who was helplessly watching that family slip away from him.

It hurt. It hurt in ways that Gabriel had long forgotten how to hurt. It hurt in ways that made him want to teach Dean that it didn’t have to hurt, made him want to teach Dean that life wasn’t all about the hunt, the responsibility, the...shackles.

Because Dean was obviously bound to more than responsibility. He was also bound to his father’s teachings. He was bound to what the world expected of him. He was bound to a certain life. He was bound to a certain image.

Gabriel couldn’t stand it. 

The people around Dean didn’t _ see _ him. They didn’t understand him. They couldn’t see past the dirt and grease and his torn, too-large hand-me-downs from his dad to how gorgeous he was. They couldn’t see past the rough and tumble exterior to how soft he was. They couldn’t see past his shitty education to how absolutely brilliant the guy was. They couldn’t see past the guns and machetes and spattered blood to how _ gentle _ he was. They couldn’t see past the “red-blooded american boy” persona to how..._confined_...he was.

They couldn’t see Dean’s soul. They didn’t get his passion, his fire. Even Dean couldn’t, didn’t...

But Gabriel could. Gabriel did. 

Gabriel could _ see _ him. Gabriel wanted to break him free. Screw everyone else and what they thought of them.

And you know...Gabriel thought that Dean just might be able to see _ him _ too. In fact, Gabriel _ wanted _ Dean to see him.

Gabriel _ needed _ Dean to see him.

Gabriel absolutely did _ not _need Dean to see him.

Gabriel wanted to open Dean’s eyes. 

Gabriel needed to remain hidden.

Come on. Gabriel had been in hiding for...how long now? He had even taken on the form and persona of a pagan god. And Father knows - or rather, he didn’t, and that was exactly the point - that Gabriel was not about to blow centuries of cover over one human.

But the Winchesters? Oh, they were interesting. They were_ so very _interesting. They were also thirteen different kinds of trouble. First of all, their lives of uncovering and hunting anything and everything supernatural didn’t jive well with an angel gone Norse god. Secondly, all of Hell seemed to have it out for them, for Sam specifically. And thirdly - and most dangerously though not lastly, had Gabriel felt like counting further - all of Heaven also had some interest in them, in Dean specifically...which made Dean Winchester the last person that Gabriel needed to be hanging around. Dean was Dangerous.

So Gabriel was absolutely going to stop watching Dean.

Gabriel was at least going to stop following Dean.

Gabriel would never let Dean see him

Okay, Gabriel was definitely not going to interact with Dean.

Gabriel was never going to follow Dean into this bar where Dean had been drinking alone for a week as he waited for his dad to come back from wherever the hell he was this time.

.

.

.

Gabriel leaned against the counter next to Dean. “Well, hello there, Deano.”

Dean eyed him suspiciously, subtly reaching for his gun.

Gabriel waved a hand dismissively. “Easy, tiger, I heard the bartender say your name.” Gabriel held out a hand and put on his most winning smile. “Call me Loki.”

“Loki. _Really_?” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Like the Norse god, the trickster?”

Gabriel grinned. “Exactly like the trickster.” He took Dean’s drink, downed it in one go, and set it on the bar. “So,” he clapped his hands together and wiggled his eyebrows, “what do you say we go find some mischief?” 


End file.
